Question

African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians and people from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have a higher risk of Chronic Kidney Disease. Why is this? What are the effects of Chronic Kidney Disease on the quality of life of an individual?

Answer 1

African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians and people from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have a higher risk of Chronic Kidney Disease because people among these population are more diabetic, obese and hypertensive. Kidney damage from diabetes is known as Diabetic nephropathy. Diabetes also causes diabetic neuropathy which leads to damage of nerves which causes difficulty in emptying the urinary bladder due to which urine retention takes place in bladder which puts pressure back on the kidney and damages it. Moreover urine retention leads to growth of bacteria in urine in presence of high glucose which causes infections in kidney and urinary tract. Hypertension also damages the blood vessels of kidney due to which kidney doesn't receive proper blood supply and it's function deteriorates, the filtering unit of kidney also stops to work properly due to hypertension and because of which waste materials are not removed properly from body. Protein in urine and also water and salt retention takes place in the body causing edema and obesity. High body weight during obesity increases the metabolic demand due to which there is more pressure on kidney for filteration which causes chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease decreases the quality of life in the patient. Chronic kidney disease leads to nausea, swelling of ankles, poor sleep pattern, frequent urination, weakness, shortness of breath, all these impacts a patient's quality of life. Sometimes patients has to undergo routine dialysis which is financially more taxing on patients with CKD and causes economic burden on patients which also impacts quality of life in patients.